SAD govt keeps 'Pendu' goals, hikes power doles

CHANDIGARH: In the backdrop of 2017 pollscape and a resurgent AAP, the SAD-BJP government on
Wednesday kept its focus on its key votebank sectors -- rural development and agriculture -- and
launched many new schemes.
Despite the state's debt-ridden status, the government chose to go with populist measures.
Punjab finance minister Parminder Dhindsa announced no new taxes in the form of VAT, stamp duty
on land, corporation bodies or vehicle registration.
Instead, the power subsidy for farmers was hiked from Rs 4,800 crore in 2014 to Rs 5,500 crore.
In an incentive for allied sectors like dairy, goat, pig and cattle rearing, the power tariff
was snipped from Rs 7.75 per unit to Rs 4.57 per unit.
Making allocations for new proposals, Dhindsa made allocations for launch of the Rs 600-crore
'Mukh Mantri Pendu Vikas Yojana' scheme to provide basic amenities in villages and Rs 200 crore
for Punjab state skill development mission.
To woo BPL (below the poverty) families, that make up 46% of Punjab's electorate, he renewed the
Rs 50-crore Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana to provide cashless medical treatment through
smart cards.
The Akali Dal also looked to play its Panthic card by announcing Rs 1 crore for celebrating 350
years' of completion of Takht Shri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib district as part of Rs
398-crore project for conservation and tourism development in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and
Kapurthala.
In education sector, the government announced an outlay of Rs 8,318 crore.
Two new model degree colleges at Pathankot and Ferozepur and two professional colleges in
aeronautics and sports will be opened in Patiala, the government said.
In a bit of balancing act, the government set aside Rs 3,126 crore for urban development. But
this largely included outlay for the already ongoing projects such as 310-acre Ecocity, 160-acre
Medicity and and 309 acre-Educity. Allocation was also made provision of regular water supply,
sewerage and sewage treatment plants.
Barely Rs 161 crore was allocated to industries amid growing signs of leading industrialists
preferring Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh as their investment destinations. This comes
soon after the spinning and paper industry czars issued took out ads about their situation in
Punjab.
There was not much on the offer in science and technology front, but the transport sector saw an
infusion of Rs 3,035 crore for purchase of 315 buses of PUNBUS, 32 automatic driving test
centres and installation of GPS devices in 300 buses to track them.